Lynx run table, win own tournament; Trojets finish 2-4

WCHS extends winning streak to 8, improves to 12-3

September 9, 2012

WEBSTER CITY -Some matches were close while others weren't, but the one constant was that the Webster City volleyball team was able to finish on Saturday.

And that translated into gold.

WCHS went 6-0 and won its own Lynx Invitational inside its new gymnasium, running its win streak to eight straight matches in the process.

Article Photos

DFJ photo by Tracy RunnebergWCHS junior Kaylee Schnathorst (8) soars in an attempt to get the block against Northeast Hamilton at Saturday’s Lynx Invite. She led the Lynx in kills, as they went 6-0 and won the tournament.

DFJ photo by Tracy RunnebergNortheast Hamilton senior Molly Greenfield collects one of her 25 digs during Saturday’s Lynx Invite. The Trojets went 2-4.

"The girls were able to finish all the matches and that was good to see," WCHS head coach Jess Howard said. "We obviously had some lapses on the day and there are always things you can improve on, but the girls played well."

Clarion-Goldfield finished in the runner-up position and gave the Lynx one of their tougher matches.

"I thought we could have played better against some of the teams we faced, but we expected Clarion to be tough," Howard said. "It was good to see us come out on top in that one."

Junior outside hitter Kaylee Schnathorst rolled up double-digit kill totals in three matches and finished the day with a tournament-high 46. Sophomore Hannah Myers pancaked 30 and classmate Molly Gilbert lashed 25; Gilbert had a high of nine against the Cowgirls, while Myers slapped seven against Clarke. Senior Bridget Moriarty added 25.

"I think our young hitters like Hannah Myers and Molly Gilbert played really well," Howard said. "I continue to see improvement with them as we go through these matches."

Libero Morgan Gourley racked up 55 digs, and Schnathorst had 45. Monica Maharry, who spent some time as the team's libero, collected 28, while Kaitlyn Kehoe and Ashley Price both had 14.

Price (66) and Kehoe (61) combined to dish out 127 assists.

WCHS also continued to see improved serving with only 10 misses in 284 chances. There were 23 aces, highlighted by seven from Schnathorst and six from Maharry.

The defending North Central Conference champion Lynx now face a critical week in the league. They'll start on the road against Humboldt on Tuesday, followed by another meeting with Clarion-Goldfield in the WCHS gym on Thursday.

Trojets finish 2-4

Northeast Hamilton put together a 2-4 record at Saturday's Lynx Invite.

The Trojets (3-11) picked up wins over Ogden (21-18, 21-17) and Clarke (21-18, 21-17). In addition to the loss to the host Lynx, they were also handed setbacks by Clarion-Goldfield (21-12, 21-11), Prairie Valley (21-13, 21-14) and Gilbert (21-8, 21-17).

"I felt like we competed with every team there, so I left feeling really good about the day," NEH head coach Kacey Pruismann said. "We played extremely well against Ogden. We played them right after they beat Prairie Valley and we stepped up strong."

Jennifer Jeffers didn't have her best day hitting -she finished with just seven kills - but managed to contribute in other areas. She came up with a team-high 37 digs, while Elm piled up 27, Greenfield 25, Jaidyn Timm 20 and Massman 19.

Elm doled out 16 assists and Greenfield had 11.

NEH will return to its home court on Tuesday to host the Meskwaki Settlement School in Iowa Star Conference action.